Engine starter



Sept. 4, 1923.- I',466,945

. v. BENDIX v ENGINE STARTER Original Filed Dec. 17. 1917 2 Shests-Sheet1 Patented Sept. 4, 1923.

UNITED STATES VINCENT BENDIX. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ENGINE sfrarvrna.

Application led December 17, 1917, Serial No.

T all wlmi/ it 'may concern Be it known that l` VINCENT Brxxnix, acitizen ot the `United States, residing at'Chicago, in the county ot'Cook und State ot' Illinois, have invented certain new and .use-

ful Improvements in Engine lStarters, ot which the following is aspeciication.

My invention relates t'o that tvpe ot en gine starter and to thetransmission or flrive Vportion thereof a's exemplified in patentsheretofore issued to me, for instance, Patent No. Lll), dated Novemberl0, 1914, and 1,144,097, dated June i915, which starter is characterizedby a prime mover, such yas an electric motor, and a transmission ordrive foi transmitting` the power of the motor by means ot a screw shaftand driving member thereonto a. member ot' the engine, such as the ilywheel, to be started. `his transmission or drive coinpriscsaserevv`shaft operated either directly or indirectly by the motor and a pinionmounted on the shat for longitudinal movement thereon and rotarymovement therew'ith.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple and etiicient Jform ofconstruction characterized more particularly by a ball and groovearrangement as between the pinion and the sha-ft as compared withscrewthreading the pinion'upon a screw-threaded shaft.

" Inthe drawing, Fig. l is an elevation, partly in section, of a driveembodying my invention and attached directly to the armature of anelectric motor;4 Fig.. 2 a cross section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3; Fig.3. a

plan view of the pinion and a portion of the shaft, and Fig. 4 asectional elevation ot a modified form of construction.

Referring to the' particular embodiment of my invention as Ashownherein, this drive may be operated either directly or indi; 'rectly bytheI e'lectric motor and while I havev herein shown the same as drivendirectlythereby, it will be understood that it may be driven indirectlyin suitable manner. The rotatable member is'\ in the form of a shaft 1which, in the present instance, is secured to the extended end of thearmature shaft. 2 o an lectric motor indicated at A.

207,458. Renewed January 31, 192,3..`

This Sima ig erm-idea with a par of Spa-a1.

grooves la terminating in more or rupt shoulders l".

less nb- @n the outer end of this shaft a stop nut 3 is secured byscrewi threading thereon. v

The driving member which is mounted on the screw shatt and capable oflongitudinal movement thereon and rotary movement therewith and alsoadapted to'engage a part of. the engineto. be started is here inthe formof a pinion et adapted to be advanced into meshing engagementwith theengine member such as the teeth 5 of the engine ily wheel This pinion isprovided with an axial extension G and such pinion extension has acentral longitudinal bore. to receive the shaft.

The pinion extension .has a pair or pairs ot balls 7 mounted therein andadapted to project into the bore and to cooperate with the groovein theshaft. By preference and as licrein shown I prefer to provide two setsor pairs of these balls arranged diametrically opposite each other andadapted to be held in place by removable plugs S screwing into radialsockets communicating at their inner ends with said bore. ot' theseplugs have recesses to receive the sides of the balls presented thereon.

To loclrthe plugs in their proper adjusted position l provide lockingmeans which here consists of a removable plate or plates 9, the numberthereof depending of course upon the particular 4. construction-` In thepresent instance there are two of these plates on opposite sides of theextension 6, and the same are secured thereto by the screwsv 10. Eachplate has angular end recesses adapted toy fit the angular outer ends 8aot the plugs.

Describing the operation ot my device as herein shown, when the motor isstarted and the shaft thereby rotated, the pinion Will be advancedlongitudinally thereon and into mesh with the fly wheel. When the pinionis in full mesh it will contactthe nut 3 and be stopped therebywhereupon it will rotate in unison with the shaft and rotate the flywheel and, thereby start 'the eng'me.' When the engine is started pn itsown power The inner ends y Umovement thereon and fof the engine to bestarted,

the pinion will be demeshed automatically end returnedto normal or homeposition. This return movement of the pinion is stopped by the contactof one oi" the balls against the-abrupt shoulder-ib at the end of thegroove. This construction will efiectually prevent anyl binding of thepinion on the shaft at the-end of this return movement.

If desired a spring il may be interposed between the' shoulder l@towards the inner end of the screw shaft and the pinion in order tocushion the return'movement of the pinion after being demeshed from theilywheel.

in Figf have shown a modified form construction in' which thecorresponding are given the saine reference characters. According tothis construction the grooves on the screw shaft runin the oppositedirection as compared with those shown in Fig. l' and as a result thenormal or home position of the pinion is at the outer end of the shaft,as Ashown in Fig. e. In operation the pinion is advanced longitudinallyand inwardly towards the motor in the meshing operation. A spring 12 isinterposed between the shoulder lc of the shaft and the pinion and iscompressed by the latter during the time of meshing engagement with theEy-wheel, With the result that such movementof the pinion is cushionedand a yielding driving connection 'afforded at thetime of the initialrotary movement of the pinion,

" inasmuch. as the rotary driving movement may take place afterconsiderable compression ofthis spring and before the pinion has beenstopped in its longitudinal movement to the left (F by contact of theballs with the abrupt shoulders at the inner ends of the. grooves. i

I claim:

l. A transmission mechanism for engine starters comprising a rotatableshaft having a spiral groove thereon, and a driving member mounted onthe shaft for longitudinal movement thereon and rotary movementtherewith, and comprising a body portion having means :for engagementwith a part of the engine to be started, and alsoan end extensionprovided with a bore to receive the shaft und carrying a series oi'balls prcu'ecting.;r ,into suclibore and cooperating with said groove; I

2. A transmission mechanism for engine starters comprisingv a rotatableshaft having a spiral groove thereon, and a driving member mounted ontheshaft for longitudinal rotary movement therewith, and colfnprising,T abody portion having means for engagement with a part and also an endextension provided with a bore to receive/ the shaft 'and with radialsockets'communieatingv with the bore, removable plugs for incasso thesockets and balls in the sockets projecting into said bore andcooperating' with said groove.

3. Al transmission mechanism for engine starters comprising a rotatableshaft having a spiral groeve thereon, and a driving` member mounted onthe shaft for longitudinal movement thereon and rotary movementtherewith, said member comprising a pinion body with teeth to mesh witha part fof the engineto be started, and alsoan end extension providedWith a bore to receive the shaft and With radial sockets communicatingwith the bore, removable plugs for the sockets and balls in the socketsprojecting into said bore and cooperating with said groove, the innerends of the plugs having recesses to receive the balls.

4. A transmission mechanism for engine starters comprising a rotatableshaft having a spiral groove thereon, and a. driving member mounted onthe shaft for longitudinal movement thereon and rotary movementtherewith, said member comprising a pinion body 'with teeth to mesh Witha part of the engine to be started, and also an end eXtension providedwith a bore to receive the shaft and with radial sockets communicatingwith the bore, removable. plugs for the sockets and balls in the socketsprojecting into said bore and cooperating with said groove, and meansfor locking said plugs in place.

A transmission mechanism for engine starters comprising a rotatableshaft having a spiral groovethereon, and a driving member mounted on theshaft for longitudinal movement thereon and rotary movement therewith,said member comprising 'a pinion body with teeth to mesh with a part ofthe engine to be started, and also an end extension provided with a boreto receive the shaft and with radial sockets communicating with thebore, removable plugs for the sockets and balls in the socketsprojecting into said bore and cooperatingV with said groove, saidSoekets and plugs being arranged in two pairs diametrically oppositeeach other.

6. A transmission mechanism for engine starters comprising a rotatableshaft having a spiral groove thercon,and a driving member mounted on theshaft for lor itudinal movement thereon and rotary movement therewith,and adapted to engage a part of the engine to be started, said memberhaving an extension provided with a bore toreceive the shaft and withradial sockets communieating with the bore. removable plugs for thesockets and balls in the. sockets projectf ing into said bore andcooperating with said groove, said sockets and plugs being arranged int-Wo pairs diametrically opposite each other, and two locking platessecured to said member and each cooperating with the two 'adjacentmembers of each pair of plugs.

lie

7. A ,transmission mechanism for engine series of balls projecting intosuch bore and starters comprising a rotatable shaft having `cooperatingwith said groove, the end of. the 10 a spiral groove thereon, and adriving memgroove being made 'abrupt and adapted to be ber mounted onthe shaft for" longitudinal contacted by one of the balls to Stoplongitu- 5 movement` thereon and rotary movement dinal movement of thesaid member on the therewith and-adapted-to engage a part of shaft. theengine to be started, said member having -a bore toreceivethe shaft andcarrying a VINCNT-BENDIX.

